Ever After You
by kissables333
Summary: Before Bella, there was Jane. OOC, unintentionally, and a skewing of facts to fit the story, but only a little.
1. Prologue

**Title Credit: **Gabe Dixon Band - Ever After You

So I've had this idea stewing my mind for a while now...we'll see how it turns out.

I know I know I know this is short. But its just a prologue.

Reviews please! Tell me if it sucks, or if you _think_ its going to suck.

**Disclaimer**: Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

* * *

_Prologue_

June 6th, 2006

He hadn't changed, of course. He was frozen, forever, at the age of seventeen.

His bronze hair was, as always, in disarray. She wondered, as she often used to, if he achieved such a casual look with much time spent in front of a mirror. A couple strands of his hair hung into his topaz eyes; she had to restrain herself from moving to push his hair out of his eyes. The very sight of him tormented her, just as it used to.

She clenched her fists tightly, the pale skin stretching over her knuckles as he stood so cold and still before them all.

It had only been four years. That wasn't enough time for her to forget her human life _entirely_. She could still recall faint memories. Sometimes they were clear, sometimes they were blurry, dizzying recollections of her past life. She did not remember everything, only some things. That was more than enough.

She remembered her father and his _ways_. She remembered her mother and how she had abandoned her and her brother.

And she remembered the boy. How he appeared suddenly in her life, how everyone fawned over him and his family. She remembered him but she only wanted to forget.

The memories of him, the ones that tortured her during every long hour and every spare. Memories of his smile attacked her mind at night when she had nothing to fill the hours that she used to spend sleeping. It was nights like those when she pined for sleep and for her human life.

But now she could not sleep, now that she made her choice. She could not hide away from him in the realms of sleep anymore.

Aro told her that she would remember the transformation as the most painful experience of her human life, but he was wrong. She remembered _him_.

And now four years later, after the five days of transformation and the year of uncontrollable thirst and anger had passed, he was standing before her.

_He remembered._ Because vampires do not forget. He remembered her, for four years were nothing to a vampire who'd lived for a hundred. And he knew she remembered.

He stood before Aro and his brothers and–without a glance in her direction–he asked the Volturi to take his life.


	2. 1xJane

Edward is soooo OOC in this. Sorry, if you don't like that.

Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight.

* * *

Chapter Two

September 9th, 2002

There were new kids in school, a fact that apparently seemed to astound and amaze the student population. They were, supposedly, the adopted children of a new ER doctor at Dover General.

Their names, descriptions, and rumors about them floated off the lips of everyone in the hallways.

There were three of them, that was verified. Two were seniors and one was a junior.

Apparently, Kelly, who worked in the school's office over the summer, saw them. Kelly told Amber who informed Kyle who spilled to Jill who confirmed to Lisa that there were two boys and a girl. But that's just word of mouth. Like a game of Telephone, fact can, and often is, replaced with fiction in the hallways of Dover High.

But the word bouncing off the steel of the metal locker doors is that they are all extraordinarily beautiful. _Dazzling_ was the word Kelly supposedly used.

Jane heard all of this and more than she really had any care to know. New students only meant more people in the crowded halls. It only meant more people to bump into Jane, for she was truly invisible to her classmates.

That was how she liked it. That was how she easily heard every rumor on her peers' lips. That was how she learned fact from fiction. Jane enjoyed not being seen. It was how she kept her secrets safe.

- x -

Sitting in homeroom on her first day of junior year, Jane wished the year was already over. She wanted to be done with school. She wanted to get of Dover as soon as she could. Jane wanted nothing more to leave behind her house, her school, and this town.

Her first period of the day, US History 2, luckily flew by as Mrs. VanderWeert spent the entire forty-four minutes outlining the class syllabus and rules. Tuning out the sound of the teacher as she droned on, Jane turned her attention to the window. It was raining, although that was nothing new in Dover. Jane smiled as she could faintly hear the sound of rain drops upon the roof of the school, above the sounds of whispers and her teacher.

Her gym class flew by, as everyone assembled in the auditorium for their yearbook pictures. Dover High, much to the annoyance of most of the student body, took pictures for the yearbook on the first and second days of school.

Stealing a seat as far away from everyone else as she could, she pulled out her copy of _Sense and Sensibility_ and was soon submerged in the civilities and society of Jane Austen's story.

Much to her displeasure, she was pulled from her book by a commotion. Scanning the auditorium, she saw that the commotion had been caused by a boy. One of the new ones, she presumed. Given his rather large, burly size, she assumed he was one of the seniors. The boy was also tall and surprisingly pale.

He too was sitting off by himself, not socializing with everyone. It seemed impossible to Jane that this new boy wasn't aware of the attention he drew to himself, simply by sitting there. It seemed every girl in the room couldn't stop staring. Rolling her eyes, Jane returned to her book.

- x -

Walking down the hallway to her next class, Jane already heard rumors flying about the new boy in her gym class, Emmett Cullen.

The boys discussed whether he'd join the wrestling team. The girls discussed what his muscles would feel like. But everyone discussed how intimidating he'd looked. Jane scoffed to herself at that: the boy seemed harmless.

Jane sat emotionlessly through her AP Chemistry class while Mr. Opremchek handed out and reviewed lab safety protocol. Luckily, Mr. O was a fan of assigning partners through what he called the 'Lab Partner Lotto,' otherwise Jane would have to sit through the humiliation of not having a partner, yet again.

Jane cut through the crowd of students in the hallways as she made her way to her Mythology class.

Mrs. Roeser smiled at Jane as she entered; having had Mrs. Roeser as a Mythology teacher for the past two years, Jane had become very well acquainted with the teacher.

Sitting in class for the forty-four prescribed minutes, Jane was bored as she always was on the first day. All of the teachers went over the same things with the same lines.

However, the presence of the new girl seemed to disrupt the attention span of the entire class. Well…mainly, she captured the gazes of every male in the room and the jealous glares of every female in the room.

Rosalie Hale was the name whispered upon every pair of lips in the class. The girl, no doubt, was aware that everyone was talking about her. But she must've been used to it. She was uncommonly beautiful.

The bell rang loudly; the sound was soon replaced by the commotion of moving bodies out of their chairs and out the door.

Making her way to the cafeteria and through the lunch line, Jane sat down at a table by herself and pulled out her book to read.

While she read, she ate her lunch, too consumed in her book to pay attention to the havoc in the cafeteria.

Once she finished her lunch, she grudgingly put down her book and got up to throw out her trash.

Sitting down again at the table she occupied by herself, she glanced around the lunch room, noting the never changing groups of friends sitting together.

However, the new additions to her school caught her eye. Sitting at a table by themselves were the three new students. Jane saw Emmett, from gym, Rosalie, from Mythology, and the third boy, whom she'd not seen yet. He was obviously more slender than Emmett and younger than both of them.

Most of the lunchroom was buzzing about them and they were not being very subtle about it. With another eye roll, Jane returned to her book.

Once lunch was over, Jane floated through Precalculus, barely paying any attention to the ramblings of Mr. Hunt. Mr. Hunt was a good teacher, but Jane hated math with a passion.

Escaping her most hated subject, Jane gladly entered her most beloved class. English with Ms. Henry. Ms. Henry was, by far, Jane's favorite teacher.

The bell rang, sending everyone to find a seat in flurry. Moments later, one of the new boys, the more slender of the two, entered the classroom.

Ms. Henry turned to him and only stared.

The boy flashed her a smile, "Are you Ms. Henry?"

"I uh…I um…" Ms. Henry, for the first time, looked as if she was speechless.

Looking around the room, Jane noted the dreamy looks on the faces of every girl in the classroom, while a majority of the boys looked as though they were sizing up the new boy.

"My name is Edward Cullen," The boy put forward. His voice was smooth and even. The girl to the right of Jane let out a light giggle. Jane merely rolled her eyes at the girl's antics.

"Uh…ye-yes…we were expecting you. Next time…try to be on time to class…alright, Mr. uh Cullen?"

"Of course, ma'am." He smiled at her again.

"Oh…well…it's quite alright." The woman said, sounding a bit flustered. "Well…" she turned her gaze away from the boy and surveyed the room. "You may take the empty desk next to Jane. Jane please raise your-"

But there was no need for Jane to raise her hand so Edward could find her. Before Ms. Henry had even finished her sentence, Edward was already making his way down the row of the seats toward the empty one on her left.

As the new boy neared, Jane met his gaze. She expected no friendly smile from this boy she barely knew, however she didn't expect the calculating look upon his face.

His eyes were narrowed slightly at her with a frown firmly set in place on his face.

In response, she raised an eyebrow questioningly.

_Disliking me must be contagious at this school, _Jane thought to herself as she turned to face the front of the room. _And _**he**_hasn't even been here for an entire day. _

But the issues this _Edward_ person had with her were of no consequence to Jane. If he chose to dislike her, like everyone else, it wouldn't make any difference at all in Jane's daily life.

English ended much too soon for Jane's liking, although she was cheered by the fact that she only had study hall left to prolong her escape from the school

Jane headed to the school's library for her study hall period, her single sanctuary in the entire world. Soon enough, her study hall, and last period of the day, ended; allowing Jane to finally leave. However, Jane knew she was only trading one prison for another.

She walked happily through the parking lot and in her peripheral vision caught sight of the Nissan 350Z that was sitting in the student parking lot. Knowing that it must be the new kids', she continued walking on.

She stood still on the sidewalk on her way back to her house and let the rain fall down on her. The best thing her parents had ever done for her was choose to live in a place where it almost always rained.

Jane had an hour until she had to be home. Luckily, her father was off on a business trip for the week so she didn't have to deal with his demanding her home as soon as school ended.

For now, she could just walk slowly home, enjoying the feel of the rain on her skin.

- x -

The first few days of school passed quietly for Jane. With everyone still being acclimated to the schedule of school after a long summer break, there wasn't much homework. There wasn't much discussion of important matters during classes. This allowed Jane to observe.

Jane observed everyone, quietly. People, no matter how much they detested her or how much she couldn't stand them, interested Jane. She wanted to understand why people did what they did. She wanted to understand their choices.

There were two good things about the new kids, to Jane. One was that it gave Jane a chance to observe how people interacted with them. Most of the time, everyone acted stupidly. And the second good thing was that she got to observe the new kids.

They kept to themselves and barely ate anything. The only time she heard any of them talk was during class when called upon by a teacher. But other than that, they were just as quiet as Jane. During lunch, they sat together, not eating or talking. Emmett, the large one, and Rosalie were dating, Jane assumed as they were often very close, holding hands and such.

This new fact disappointed many students. Countless times during lunch, Jane witnessed girl after girl gather up the courage to walk to their table and ask out the kid from her English class, but to no avail. He turned all of them down.

Jane had no interaction with any of the new kids until the fourth day of school, during study hall.

Happy that the day was almost over, Jane found an empty near the back of the large room and pulled out her book but soon became too preoccupied in the view of the rain falling outside to become entranced in the text of the story.

As Jane became distanced from reality, she only barely heard the quiet scuffle of a chair being dragged across the carpeting of the library floor as it was pulled back from the table.

"Aren't you a bit young to be in a junior English class, or in high school for that matter?"

Her eyes snapped, now narrowed, to the boy sitting across from her. It was that new boy, _Edward_. She could feel her face burning from his question. Jane could tell from his tone that he did not mean to mock her, but rather that he was simply curious. Unfortunately for him, his poor choice of words and curiosity only provided to not serve well with Jane.

Jane resisted the urge to shake her lanky brown hair in her face as she was apt to do. Jane's mother had not been the most health conscience during her pregnancy and as a result Jane was born with a condition that made her appear years younger than she actually was. It was one of the many reasons people didn't acknowledge Jane. She was branded as a freak among her peers because of this. It was also one of the many reasons Jane despised her mother.

"How young, exactly," She began in an annoyed hiss as she shoved her glasses further up the bridge of her nose, "do you think I am?"

The boy smiled, as if the conversation was merely a joke. "Well, you look twelve-"

"I'm sixteen." She snapped before turning her attention back to her book. However as she was turning the page, the book was pulled from her grasp.

"Hey!" she protested.

"First of all, you need to lower your voice. You're in a library." He teased quietly, "Second of all, you need to relax."

"And _you_ need to give me my book back," She shot back.

"Are you always this high-strung?" He mused as he absentmindedly flipped through the pages of her book with slender, pale fingers.

"Are you always this annoying?" She asked with a cocked eyebrow.

Edward chuckled as he rested his forearms on the table and leaned closer to Jane. "Only on Tuesdays."

"It's Thursday," she deadpanned as she watched his movements with her arms crossed in front of her.

The boy was silent for a moment as he leaned back in his chair and observed her.

"My name is Edward Cullen."

"I know."

"And your name is Jane."

"Congratulations, you win a prize." She replied sardonically.

_Edward_ opened his mouth to speak again but was interrupted by the loud ringing of the bell.

He smiled at Jane as he stood up. "I'll see you later Jane."

"Wait!" Jane called as she stood up and grabbed her bag. "Aren't you going to give me back my book?"

"No." He replied back as another string of chuckles escaped from his lips.

Jane blinked and he was already leaving the library and merging with the hallway traffic.

With an annoyed sigh at her interaction with Edward, Jane pushed her way through the hallways of her school and stepped outside into the rain.


	3. 2xEdward

Realistically, don't expect updates until the summer. I have no time for anything.

I'm considering switching between Jane and Edward's point of view while remaining in third person, just to see how it works out.

Comments? Predictions? Channel Alice and guess what you think will happen.

* * *

Chapter Three

To him, Dover High was just another school. Dover was just another rainy town full of staring mortals and idiotic teenagers.

Edward detested the first few months at a new school. The students, the teachers, the administration, and the janitors all stared. He and his siblings were the shiny new object to talk about. Being the adopted children of the wealthy new doctor in town, they were the most interesting subject the small town had to offer to its inhabitants. It seemed that the students of Dover High had nothing else to talk about except the three Cullen children.

His classes were boring, as he had learned all of the information numerous times before. His math teacher droned on and his history teacher seemed fonder of going off on tangents unrelated to the material than actually teaching.

Everywhere, he found the mind-numbing thoughts of his peers. Although years had passed, the thoughts of teenagers were always the same. He had already heard more than one too many fantasies concerning himself. He'd already too many about Emmett for his own mental stability and way too many concerning Rosalie to keep him sane.

Just as always, they were already causing a stir in the hallways. Edward and Emmett were gaining the admiration of the girls, Rosalie the boys. Edward and Emmett were also gaining glares from the guys of the school and Rosalie the girls. They inspired crushes and jealousy wherever they went.

Already, Emmett and Rosalie had broken numerous hearts with the discovery of their relationship and Edward had already had to politely turn down starry-eyed hopefuls who had asked for dates.

But Dover was no different than any other high school they'd been to in their lifetimes and no doubt there would be many more just like it. Eventually, their appeal would lessen to the point of being manageable; hopefully it wouldn't take too long.

- x -

Having returned home from school on Thursday, Edward found himself smiling as he flipped through the well-worn copy of _Sense and Sensibility_.

The door to their new home on the outskirts of Dover opened and in walked Emmett and Rosalie since they happened to drive just a little slower than Edward, who thirsted for the thrill and speed of a fast car.

"What are you reading, bro?" Emmett's voice boomed in their quiet home.

"Nothing." He muttered, dodging the grab for the book that he knew Emmett would try.

_He came late to class, knowing that as a new student he wasn't expected to know his way around yet, even though he already did. _

_The teacher turned to him. Edward chuckled internally at the dazed look in the teacher's eyes._

_Smiling he said, "Are you Ms. Henry?" knowing she'd stare at him all day if he didn't say something._

"_I uh…I um…" _

"_My name is Edward Cullen," Edward heard an infatuated giggle come from one of the girls in case._

"_Uh…ye-yes…we were expecting you. Next time…try to be on time to class…alright, Mr. uh Cullen?"_

"_Of course, ma'am." He smiled at her again just to give himself more amusement._

"_Oh…well…it's quite alright. Well…You may take the empty desk next to Jane. Jane please raise your-"_

_Seeing the image of Jane's face in Ms. Henry's thoughts, Edward turned and found the empty desk next to the girl._

_Making his way down the room, his eyes moved quickly to take in 'Jane.'_

_She was a tiny, slim girl who seemed to swim in her sweatshirt. Her short brown hair framed her pale face. Surprising him, this Jane dared to do what no one else at her school had dared to do. She met his eyes with her own wide, grey ones. Instantly, he felt his stomach tighten. That was new for him._

_What struck him most about her features was how childlike they were; she looked very young. But what struck him most about the girl herself was that when he attempted to read her mind, he heard nothing._

_He must've had an unpleasant look upon his face, as she raised an eyebrow questioningly, almost mockingly, before turning away._

Suddenly, the book was pulled from his grasp; Rosalie tossed it to Emmett. They threw it back and forth while Edward half-heartedly tried to get it back.

"Whose book is it, Eddy?" Emmett asked while he waved the book taunting in front of his brother.

"No one's." Edward said as he tackled his brother to the ground and snatched the book from Emmett's hand.

"Who is she?" Rosalie asked as she sat down on the couch and was soon joined by Emmett.

Edward sighed and responded only because he knew his siblings would never drop the issue.

_Today, he saw her as soon as he entered the library for study hall. She sat alone near the back of the room, reading. It seemed that she was always reading. Unable to get control of himself, he walked swiftly to where she was and sat down at the same table. She didn't even look at him._

_He didn't know what to say. He didn't know _why_ he felt the need to say anything at all. He knew he should just leave the girl alone, but he couldn't. "Aren't you a bit young to be in a junior English class, or in high school for that matter?" He asked curiously. That was all he could come up with._

_Instantly, she narrowed her grey eyes in his direction; he watched as her face flushed in embarrassment. It hadn't been his intention to embarrass her. He just didn't know what to say._

"_How young, exactly," Jane was angry; he could tell by the tone of her soft voice and the force with which she pushed her glasses further up on her nose. "do you think I am?"_

_He smiled because he had finally heard her voice; he had finally spoken to her, albeit it wasn't the best conversation. "Well, you look twelve-"_

_Edward instantly knew that he had said the wrong thing. He did not know what was wrong with him. He was acting abnormally but he couldn't stop the words from flowing out of his mouth. He was acting stupidly; he was acting like a teenage boy with a crush._

"_I'm sixteen." She snapped; her grey eyes flashed with anger. Then she looked away and he mourned the loss of her eyes._

_He couldn't control himself as he took the book of her hands; he almost smiled when her gaze returned to him. _

"_Hey!"_

"_First of all, you need to lower your voice. You're in a library." Oh god, was he __**flirting**__? "Second of all, you need to relax."_

"_And you need to give me my book back," was her quick reply. _

"_Are you always this high-strung?" The words fell from his lips and he regretted all of them. _

"_Are you always this annoying?"_

_He glanced up at her and closed her book. Tucking it under his arms, he rested his forearms and the table and leaned in. "Only on Tuesdays."_

"_It's Thursday." Her arms were crossed in front of her, he noted. She was on the defensive. So he leaned back away from her, deciding he had invaded her personal space enough from today._

"_My name is Edward Cullen."_

"_I know."_

"_And your name is Jane." _

"_Congratulations, you win a prize." She wasn't intimidated by him. That was a first among humans. He found it surprisingly alluring._

_Suddenly, the bell rang before he could respond._

_Standing up and sending the tiny girl a smile, he said "I'll see you later Jane."_

"_Wait! Aren't you going to give me back my book?"_

_He didn't turn to look at her as he threw his response over his shoulder. "No." Smiling, he left the library quickly._

"Obviously," Emmett began in jest, "you've got a crush and you should ask her out. Our little Eddy is growing up." He said with a large smile as he reached out to pinch his brother's cheek.

Swatting his brother's hand away, Edward rolled his eyes. "I don't have a crush. I simply…find her…interesting."

"Well, what does she think of you?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" Emmett repeated with his eyebrows raised as he put an arm around Rosalie's shoulders.

"I couldn't read her mind."

"Edward," Rosalie began seriously. "That could be a problem. You need to stay away from—"

"She's not a threat."

"Aw, don't ruin his fun, Rose. The boy's in love."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Edward muttered, "How did I go from having a crush to being in love in five seconds? Besides, I'm not in love, nor do I have a crush. The girl is simply a puzzle." He gave his best attempt at a convincing lie.

"What does your puzzle smell like then?"

"Nothing that stands out."

"So you're all bothered about a girl whose blood doesn't even particularly attract you?" Emmett asked with a stupid smile on his face. "You are in love!"

"Shut up Emmett. I'm not in love." Edward stood up, taking the book with him, and went to the door. "I'm going hunting." He called over his shoulder at his two siblings on the couch who watched him with curious eyes.

"Come on bro, I was just kidding—" The rest of Emmett's shout was cut off by the door, although that didn't stop Emmett's thoughts from flowing into his mind.

Jane confused him. She didn't act like any other girl. Her blood didn't call to him anymore than anyone else at the school. But he'd barely spent two seconds in her presence before she changed his behavior.

Emmett was right. He was acting like a teenager in love towards a girl he'd barely even spoken to!

It was only a few days into the school year and Edward already found himself wishing that Jasper and Alice were with them. Jasper had decided to stay in Alaska so as to further cement his control and Alice, of course, stayed with him.

Edward desperately wished for his sister's clairvoyance so that she could aid him in his decisions. He wished for Jasper so that he could tell him what Jane felt and so that Jasper could tell Edward what he felt himself.

Edward would not be at school on Friday. Although, Jane's blood didn't call to him, he needed time to clear his head which meant time spent away from Jane. Much to his dismay though, Edward found himself dreading the long weekend before him. He found he just wanted to speak to Jane again.


	4. 3xJane

Update 41 of 89.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

_Monday September 16__th_

Jane

There was something about Edward Cullen that absolutely infuriated Jane.

He was so…cocky when they first met. And he stole her book!

She survived through her mundane history lesson and couldn't help but catch the eye of Edward's adopted brother during gym. He smiled at her as if he knew something she didn't. It made her feel uncomfortable. She passed her classes ignored by others until Mythology, when she yet again met the gaze of a Cullen.

Walking into English on Friday, she had intended to demand that he return her book. But he wasn't in his seat and he didn't show up to class.

She assumed he was out sick. Jane could not lie and say she was disappointed.

During study hall, she was able to get the library's copy of _Sense and Sensibility_ so she could read from where she left off.

Jane passed the day, unbothered by her peers. She was glad to get out of school for the weekend, especially since her father wasn't home. He wouldn't be home until next Friday. For this, she was glad.

She passed the weekend peacefully and not once did her thoughts stray to a certain pale boy who held one of her beloved books captive.

Jane was determined throughout the rainy Monday that followed her calm weekend that she would get her book back.

During English, however, they had to do an in-class essay on one of their summer reading books: _Their Eyes were Watching God_. They were supposed to write about what they believed Janie's greatest accomplishment was. English being her best class, Jane had no problem with the essay.

Edward was out the door as soon as the bell rang. He hadn't so much as looked at her the entire class.

Jane saw him as soon as she entered the library. He was sitting at the same table that they'd conversed at on Thursday. His head was down as he flipped through the pages of a book—_her_ book she noted. Jane noticed a precocious smile was upon his face.

She opened her mouth to speak as she sat down across from him but he beat her to it.

"What do you think was Janie's greatest accomplishment?"

Stunned, she replied, "That she was ultimately content with the person she is. At the end of the novel, she has discovered her own identity; she achieved that from her three marriages. Each marriage helped her discover who she was and who she wasn't. Janie was finally able to hold her horizon because she found out who she was and what she wanted." He was watching her over the top of her book.

She didn't particularly care what he'd written for the essay. "Can I have my book back?"

Ignoring her question, he fired back with another of his own, "Did anyone ever tell you that you shouldn't write in books?" he asked with that damn smile upon his face.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that you shouldn't steal things?"

The smile remained on his face. "I was reading some of the comments you wrote in the margins."

"I don't see why, they're just comments about the characters." she mumbled uncomfortably. She often wrote among their pages how she connected to the books she read. She felt naked; she felt as if he was able to read her mind by reading her comments.

"Hm," He mused, "And they are very intelligent comments too. Like here," He said holding up the book in front of her. "In this particular passage, you underlined Willoughby's name and wrote 'asshole' in the margins."

"Well," Jane shrugged. "He is."

Edward laughed, it was the first time she'd heard him laugh. "Yes, he is."

"Look, can you just give me my book back?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I haven't finished it yet."

"Cullen," she hissed, "Give me my book back."

He only smiled at her as the bell rang. "Goodbye Jane."

She would not let him leave with her book. As fast as she could, she followed him out of the library, through the halls and out to the student parking lot.

"Cullen!" She yelled as she approached the boy who was unlocking his car door.

He smiled up at her. "Jane."

"Give me my book back." She demanded with her arms crossed in front of her.

He shook his head. She made a grab for the book but he pulled it away. She tried again; this time she caught the edge of the book. While the book fell, she managed to stumble into Edward who caught her, rather than the book that tumbled to the ground and landed in a puddle.


	5. 4xEdward

Update 42 of 89.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

_Monday September 16__th_

Edward

The weekend could not have lasted longer. There was something about her that interested him. It was something more than the fact that her mind was closed to him. She wasn't intimidated by him. She didn't even seem to care much for him at all.

He hunted only to ensure that he wouldn't go crazy and attack this girl. Her blood didn't even attract him and yet, she was all he could think about.

Emmett and Rose had hopefully told Esme and Carlisle some story about why he was gone. He didn't want to lie to them but he didn't know what was going on. He couldn't tell them about what he was feeling and he couldn't tell them about Jane.

He went hunting to forget her. Though, he brought her book with him…so forgetting about Jane wasn't much of an option. He thought of her constantly. It was driving him insane.

Finally when Monday came, his mind was buzzing with what to do or what to say to her.

He barely registered what his teachers said; he didn't pay attention to the myriad of girls who watched him.

Throughout lunch, she kept her head in a book and didn't look his way but his eyes remained trained on her throughout the entire period. He had to stop this. He was being creepy but he couldn't get her out of his mind.

He knew he had to distance himself from her. He had to stop bothering her and he had to stop thinking about her.

English was good for him. They had to write an essay. So he couldn't talk to her even if he could.

And then…study hall.

He was nervous.

He was _never_ nervous.

He knew he should stop bothering her. As he sat down at the same table as Thursday, he knew what he had to do. He had to give her back her book, apologize, and then leave her alone.

He was flipping through the book when the chair across from him was pulled away from the table.

"What do you think is Janie's greatest accomplishment?" The words fell out of his mouth before he could stop them. He had no control around her.

Stunned, she replied. While she spoke, he couldn't help but take in her features. He couldn't help but take in the smell of strawberries that was so distinct around her. She must use strawberry-scented shampoo, he concluded.

"Can I have my book back?" She asked.

_Give her back the book._

_Give her back the book._

His mind commanded him but he did not listen.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you shouldn't write in books?" He asked thinking of the various comments he'd found among the margins of the book.

_Give her back the book._

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that you shouldn't steal things?" She shot back; it made him smile.

_Give her back the book._

"I was reading some of the comments you wrote in the margins."

"I don't see why, they're just comments about the characters." She replied quietly. She was uncomfortable, that was clear.

"And they are very intelligent comments too. Like here," He smiled as he held up the book, "In this particular passage, you underlined Willoughby's name and wrote 'asshole' in the margins."

"Well," Jane shrugged as her grey eyes sparkled. "He is."

He laughed because she was funny in a quiet, unintentional way. "Yes, he is." he agreed.

"Look, can you just give me my book back?" she demanded.

_Give her back the book._

"No."

"Why not?"

_Give her back the book._

"I haven't finished it yet." _Liar._

"Cullen," she hissed, "Give me my book back." He adored the way his name fell from her lips.

The bell rang and he took that as his cue to leave. "Goodbye Jane."

_Leave the book on the table._

But he could not. If he did, she would have no reason to speak to him.

He tore out of the library as fast as he could. He would do something he'd regret if he stayed near her any longer.

His siblings were waiting for him at his car. He'd driven them to school today.

He was reaching to unlock the door when he heard her.

"Cullen!"

She had followed him; it made him smile.

"Jane." he replied.

"Give me my book back." she demanded with her arms crossed in front of her. She was mad. She was cute.

He knew he should give her the book so that she could get out of the rain, but he shook his head. She made a grab for the book but he pulled it away in time as Em and Rose looked on.

The rain had matted her hair down to her forehead and her glasses were covered with water droplets. She wasn't wearing a jacket; she must've been freezing in the rain. He was so caught up in how she looked that he didn't pull away in time. When she lunged for the book a second time, she managed to hit it out of his hand while simultaneously slipping forward. Automatically, he put his arms up to catch her as she stumbled into him. His hands caught her arms to steady her. As her body hit his, he was engulfed in the smell of strawberries that stunned him for a moment.

And then he heard it,

_My book!_

The thoughts were not his.

The sound of a splash caught his attention. Her book had fallen into a puddle. She pushed herself away from him and leaned down to pick up the book. The ink was running and all of her comments were hard, if not impossible, to read.

She sighed and then angrily tossed the book to the ground.

"Why can't you just leave me alone like everyone else?" she questioned; if his hearing hadn't been acute, he never would've heard her over the pouring rain.

Without even looking at him, she walked away into the rain.

"Jane!" He called and stepped to go after her, but Rose caught his arm.

She shook her head at him and he knew he couldn't change what he'd done. He picked the book up off the ground and tucked it into his jacket.

He couldn't get the sad look on her face out of his mind. Out of anger at himself and guilt, he punched the side of his car, leaving a dent in the panel.

Edward slid into the car; Em and Rose followed suit quickly.

Turning the car on, he laid his head against the wheel.

"Edward—" Rosalie began.

"I heard her thoughts." Edward interrupted. "When I caught her. I heard her thoughts." With that, he revved the engine and sped out of the parking lot as his mind drifted to why he heard her thoughts and how he could make it up to her.


End file.
